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| Coos Bay Rail Line |
Interested
geotechnical engineering students from Oregon State University (OSU) had the chance
to visit two existing single track train tunnels along the Pacific Coast of
Oregon just south of Florence, OR, USA earlier this year on February 1st, 2019.
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The Coos Bay Rail Line – Tunnel Structural Rehabilitation is
designed to bring the existing nine tunnels into a good operating condition.
The tunnels were built during the early 20th century and began
operation in 1916. It was shut down between 2007 and 2011 due to safety
concerns related to deferred maintenance.
The
new rehabilitation work started in May 2018 and is scheduled to be completed in
April 2020. Most of the original – over 100 year old – cedar timber structure
is still in place. The project includes structural repairs, fire safety, and
drainage systems. This project is a significant step in preserving and
maintaining the old rail line along the Pacific Coast to continue to connect
local shippers to the national rail network.
The estimated overall project cost as of 2016 was $19.55
million dollars.
On-site, the project manager, Matt Bartlett, from McMillen
Jacobs Associates, Portland, OR, walked us through tunnel 15 and 16 and showed
us the work they’ve already done and work that still needs to be completed.
The tunnels were dark and wet – good rubber boots would have
been great – because of deferred maintenance, the water found a new way along
the train tracks and resembled a small stream in some places. And as a
consequence of the water, some of the material under the tracks got washed out.
We enjoyed walking through the darkness in over 100 years
old train tunnels.
I’d
like to thank GIGSO (Geo-Institute Graduate Student Organization) of OSU for
their financial support. The group would like to thank McMillen Jacobs
Associates from Portland, OR, and especially Matt Bartlett, who guided us
through the tunnels.
Stephie
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| From
left to right.: Stephanie Lange, Aleyna Donaldson, Ehsan Yazdani, Lina Xu, Victoria Dutille, Jiayao Wang, Tovey Brown. |
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